The idea began when a Navajo participant in a Permaculture-based workshop approached instructor Alfred C. Von Bachmayr with the idea of a straw bale demonstration project on the reservation. Von Bachmayr, a NM architect who specializes in energy-efficient, environmentally-friendly design, wanted to develop a project that used materials found or produced in the local area where it would be built, and to use methods compatible with the culture.

To begin, Von Bachmayr first met with Navajo elders to offer assistance and interviewed residents in a HUD building project to listen to problems. While the owners were glad to have homes, they lamented building heat in summer and cold in winter. And, when furnaces broke down, parts were difficult to obtain and families reverted to woodstoves. As Von Bachmayr discussed the possibility of a demonstration straw bale project, local people suggested a home for Mary Lowe, an 87-year-old great-grandmother living in a plywood shack on the Reservation.

The design process began with an understanding of Mary Lowe's hardships. At 84, she was without electricity, had to gather wood continually in winter to heat the shack, and had no water for herself or her flock of sheep. At times the clay road becomes impassable and her family could not bring her needed water.

Though the Navajo elders agreed Mary Lowe was near the top of the list for housing assistance, there had been no action by the tribe in over six months. Finally, Von Bachmayr approached Denman Associates, Living Structures Cooperative, Sustainable Communities, Inc., local foundations, subcontractors, and friends for assistance. Together, in two weeks, volunteers built a 500+ square foot house for Mary Lowe. Care was taken to involve Lowe, her family, and the community in the project from layout, through construction and picking out local clay colors for the finish. The Navajo Agricultural Products Industry provided the straw bales, and adobe bricks for the trombe wall were made onsite.

A small photo-voltaic array now provides electricity for the first time in Lowe's life. A cistern catches water from the roof and an overflow sometimes provides additional water for the sheep, saving Lowe a 4-5 mile hike in winter. In a visit in mid-January Von Bachmayr recorded a temperature of 75 degrees in the home. Alfred C. Von Bachmayr continues to visit Lowe and has begun additional work for Native American communities.